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Milfoil - what can I do?

Yes, indeed, there are many things you can do to help control the spread of invasive water plants. But first, a couple of things you should NOT do:

DON'T try to pull or tarp milfoil by yourself. Milfoil treatment requires a DEP permit, and any attempt to pull or tarp milfoil, if you haven't had the proper training, is more likely to spread the plant further, rather than eradicate it.

DON'T drive your boat through dense patches of milfoil or other invasive plants. Every little fragment of foliage set loose by your propeller or paddle can take root and start a new infestation.

What you CAN do

Report any suspicious plants. If you notice a plant that you haven't seen before (especially if it looks "too happy") and it's not in one of the known areas of infestation, let us know about it. We'll be happy to check it out. We'd rather have a hundred false alarms than miss one new site of infestation. The sooner we catch a new infestation, the more likely it is that we can get rid of it.

Learn to identify invasive plants. Maine VLMP (Volunteer Lake Monitoring Project) offers FREE classes in invasive plant identification. There are about a dozen plants that are of concern here, several of which have already made their way into Maine. (There are some invasive animals, too.) The more you learn about them, the better you'll be able to tell whether you're seeing something troublesome in the water around you. And you can join the teams that survey the Raymond lakes every year, looking for new infestations, or help start a team if your lake doesn't have one. You'll meet some wonderful folks. Annnnnnnnnnnd you get a fantastic FREE full-color waterproof 160-page field guide to the invasive waterplants and their native look-alikes!

Welcome the CBI's. Our Courtesy Boat Inspectors are there to help you. We want to keep invasive plants from migrating from lake to lake. The inspectors will help inspect your boat and trailer, and teach you how to inspect your own equipment. Give them the chance, and help us protect our fragile waters. (And if you'd like to become a CBI yourself, just ask us about it.)

Check your own gear. If there isn't a CBI on duty, check your own boat (hull, ports, anchor, lines, live wells, propeller & gearbox, ski ropes, platforms, ladders) and trailer (wheels, axles, bunks, lights, straps, cables, hooks, anywhere a bit of plant material could hide) and dispose of ALL plant materials safely away from the water. Do it before you launch the boat, and again when you take out. Also, check fishing gear, inner tubes, waders, diving and snorkeling gear, masks and fins, rubber duckies, and any other gear that might come in contact with the water. Remember - it only takes a fraction of an inch of plant material to start a new colony.

Support your local lake associations. RWPA, PPA, CLWA, RPA are all involved in the effort to control and eradicate invasive waterplants. It's a time-consuming and expensive job; we need volunteers, and, frankly, we need money to make headway against the invaders.

If you find bits of plants in or near the water in infested areas, please dispose of them properly. Take them WELL AWAY FROM THE WATER and cover them somehow - in a trash barrel or compost bin; dig them into your garden; put them in a black plastic bag in the sun. DON'T leave them exposed where they could be washed back into the lake by a heavy rain, or picked up by birds or other animals.

Spread the word. Talk to your friends and people you meet on the waterways. Ask them if they remembered to check their boat for plants. Let your local, county, and state governments know that you worry about the spread of invasive plants, and want them to support the effort.